Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center Thrilled to Announce $3.75 Million Raised at Spirit of Hope Benefit

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - May 27, 2016) -

Editors Note: There is a photo associated with this press release.

Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies (FSWC) is thrilled to announce the annual Spirit of Hope Benefit has raised over $3.75 million in support of its educational programs promoting tolerance, freedom, democracy and human rights.

"This was a truly historic event," commented FSWC President & CEO Avi Benlolo. "As our event moderator, Israeli Member of Knesset Michael Oren noted, tonight we had the unique privilege of hearing Shimon Peres and Henry Kissinger, two of the greatest statesmen of the modern era, discussing the nexus of strategy, diplomacy and morality in international affairs. This is an evening our guests will tell their grandchildren about one day."

Close to 2,500 guests attended the 13th Spirit of Hope gala fundraiser at the Metro Toronto Convention Center on Thursday evening.

Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies (FSWC) is the top Jewish human rights foundation in Canada with a substantial constituency. It directly impacts over 100,000 people each year and 500,000+ peripherally. FSWC is committed to countering racism and antisemitism and to promoting the principles of tolerance, social justice and Canadian democratic values through advocacy and educational programs including workshops, Freedom Day, Spirit of Hope Benefit, Tools for Tolerance and its widely acclaimed new Tour for Humanity. FSWC is affiliated with the Simon Wiesenthal Center, an international Jewish human rights organization headquartered in Los Angeles, which has won two Academy Awards, has built two Museums of Tolerance (with a third being built in Jerusalem) and is an NGO at the United Nations, UNESCO, OAS, OSCE, the Council of Europe and the Latin American Parliament. Visit us at www.fswc.ca